Nike and Puma Had Coach Parreira as Hostage, Say Brazilian Fans

Brazil returned home from the World Cup on Monday, June 3, to little fanfare, and coach Carlos Alberto Parreira escaping out a back door to avoid fans and the media.

Brazil’s 1-0 defeat to France in Saturday’s quarterfinal left most Brazilians with a feeling of resignation rather than anger. Only a few supporters even bothered to turn up to jeer the squad on its return.

"I would have preferred not to have a scored a goal and to have come home a champion," said midfielder Gilberto, who netted in the 3-1 group-stage win over Japan. "For me, (my goal) didn’t do very much."

Gilberto was the only player cheered by fans at the airport and one of the few to talk to the press.

Later, Parreira held a press conference at the Brazilian Soccer Confederation headquarters and said he regretted the loss as much as anybody else.

"No one here wanted to be champion of the world more them me," he said.

On his future as coach, Parreira said he would only discuss that after talking with confederation president Ricardo Teixeira.

Asked whether Real Madrid defender Roberto Carlos was to blame for the hole in Brazil’s defense which allowed the winning goal, Parreira said, "We’re not going to look for a scapegoat where one doesn’t exist. We lost and France won. If no one made any mistakes and everyone was perfect all games would end 0-0."

Most fans, however, were quick to pin all the blame on Parreira.

Jorge Ganem, a 55-year-old lawyer, said Parreira didn’t use his bench more because of contractual obligations to sponsors.

"Look what Parreira’s done, he had a great bench but he didn’t use them because he’s beholden to Nike and Puma or whoever," Ganem said.

Many younger Brazilians couldn’t remember the team coming home before the final.

Pravda – www.pravda.ru

Tags:

You May Also Like

Brazil’s Airline Gol Vows to Cut Carbon Dioxide by 20%

Brazilian airline Gol plans a 20% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions per ASK (available ...

Brazil Calls Rio +20 Final Text Step Ahead and Accuses the Rich of Being Stingy

The Brazilian minister of Environment, Izabella Teixeira, came out in defense of the Rio ...

Brazil’s Economy Hasn’t Been That Good in Decades, Says Finance Minister

Brazil’s Minister of Finance, Antônio Palocci, says that the country is going through its ...

Snubbed by Brazil and Paraguay, Venezuela Seems a Little Further from Mercosur

Addressing a conference on relations between Mercosur and the European Community in Porto Alegre, ...

Brazilian President to Bring WTO Impasse to Meeting with Blair

The agenda of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s state visit to the ...

First Minas, Now Brazil Floods Spread to Rio and São Paulo

Rosinha Garotinho, the mayor of the town of Campos de Goytacazes, in the state ...

Balanced, Equitable

We insist that all FTAA participants must share the benefits of free  trade equally, ...

Former Brazilian Justice Minister Hired to Defend US Pilots Involved in Boeing Crash

ExcelAire, the American company that bought the Legacy jet, the aircraft that ended up ...

Brazilian Moltec Taking Their Fancy Dresses and Accessories to the Emirates

Moltec, factory from the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, wishes to expand their ...

…And Deliver Us from the Cross in Brazil’s Public Places

When I had to perform the only mission that I’d rather never have to ...